Malaysia's Suharto

Updated June 2, 2000 12:43 a.m. ET

W hen Indonesian strongman President Suharto fell two years ago, opponents of longtime Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad thought he also was vulnerable, and they raised the same reformasi cry. But differences between the neighbors -- especially Malaysia's ethnic-based parliamentary system with regular elections, as opposed to Indonesia's dictatorial direction and lack of institutions -- seemed to rule out the possible spread of the political contagion. And so it has proved, with Dr. Mahathir strengthening his already tight grip on the United Malays National Organization, at the core of a multiracial coalition...